Railway switch



y I. ARTEAGA, RAILWAY swlcH.

AEBLICATION lFILED MAY 25,. 1921 Patented Feb.28,1922

l YIIIlIl/lIlll/l//l/L www LARTEAGA. RAILWAY SWITCH.

APELlCATlON FILEDy MAY 25| |921-r A 1,408,333. Patented Feb. 28, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES rATENT OFFICE.

IGNACIO ARTEAGA, OF SA ANTONIO, TEXAS.

RAILWAY swrfrci'a.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known vthat I, IGNACIO ARTEAGA, a,

citizen of Mexico, residing at San Antonio, in the countyV of Bexar 'andState of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvenienteinlailway Switches,.of which 'i the following is a specification.

be `adapted without structurakchange to switches. of various'` forms andsizes, and to trolley lines, or`steain roads. Another object oftheinvention' is to provide? a` ,device`r ofithis character which isadapted.-withoutstructural change to be operated. by the footof themotorman, when installed in connection with trolley lines, or adaptedto'beoperatedvby compressed air whfenfinstalledsupon trains equippedVwith` v air? brakes:

'.-With these and other objects in'view the invention consists incertain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown anddescribed, andthen specifically pointed out in the claimsyand inthedrawings illustrative of the?preferred'embodiment of the invention. i

Figure conventional y 1 is view vof aportion of a railwayline with theimprovement applied.

1Fig..2 isan enlarged detail in section on the-line 2-2 ofFig. 1. Y p nFig. 3is an enlarged detail in section on the line-3 3 of Fig. 1.

^ 1 Fig. Itis Lan enlarged sectional detailon the lineAf-t of Fig. 3.

Fig. fiis aside elevation, partly in section, of a portion of aconventional trolley car incli'iding a part of the motorinans platformand a section of theitrack, with a portion of the mechanism applied., j

LFig. 6 is a front elevation ofthe lparts shown in Fig. 5 with` theplatformtand tracks in seotionon the line 6-6 of Fig.V 5. Fig. 7 is anenlarged detail illustrating-thc operation of the tripping mechanism;

Y Fig; .8. represents a modification in the construction to f illustratethesmanner,` of utilizing a part of the compressed air fromSpecification of Letters Patent.

is a shaft-'20 having a crank Patented Feb. 28,1922.

Application filed May 25, 1921. Serial No. 472,432.

the air brake systemk when the device is installed on cars using airbrakes.v

(Fig. 9 is ay section enlarged' on the line 94-9of-Figj8. Y v p f- Theimproved apparatus may be installed in connection with trolley lines Aof the ordinaryconstruction, or to the split switches of steam roads,but for the purpose of illustration is shown applied to an ordinarytrolley line lin which 10-11 represents the main line rails 12-13 thesiding or switch rails, 1/1-'-15 the frog portions, and 16 theswitchpoint the latter pivoted at one endtothe frog member 15 asl shownat 17, and reduced at the vfree end to engagein a relatively long recess18 in the inner face of the A curved rail portion of the frog-member.These parts are of the usual construction.

Theties are represented at 19, and mount-` ed for rotation through.certain of the ,ties plate 21 at one end and a gear 22- at the otherend. y

Attached to oneface of one of the ties19 at a suitable distance from theswitch point 16 are spaced keepers 27, Vand slidable through thesekeepers is a gear teeth 29 in its lower face in constant engagement withthe gear 2 2 and with glateral projections -30 at the ends, the outerfaces of the` proj ections'being reversely .bevelled, as represented inFigs. 1 and 7. a

A vportion of a conventional Itrolley'car body is represented at 31,with a portion of themotormans platform` at 32 and one of thg trucks'at33 mounted on the'tracks 10 an11.f'. Attached to the -frarnefof thetruck 33, at eachsideare `guide brackets 34, and supported for verticalmovement through each bracket is astandard 35each standard having a head36 and a spring 37 operating to maintain the standard yieldably in itskupper position. l At its lower end each ofthe standards y3 5 isprovided with an enlargement 38 having bearing roller 39 and ladownwardly projecting-lug L10, the lugs .having reversely in'-` Aclinedorybevelled confrontingfaces to Aen-` gage the bevelled face 30`of thebar 28 k"as hereafter explained.

The rollers yare adapted to bear upon the head yor tread portion of therail and the projections 40 extend below the lower line of therollerswhen the standards y35 are `depressed against the resistance ofykthesprings 37.

bar 28 having l lhen the improved apparatus is employed in connectionwith ordinary trolley lines, or those without air brake devices, thearrangement shown in Figs. 5 and 6 will be employed for actuating themember 28, and when employed in connection with lines having air brakes,the arrangement shown inv Fig. 8 will be employed.

The arrangement shown in Figs. 5 and 6 comprises brackets or hangers v4lattached to the lower face of the platform 32, one near each side andeach carries a stub shaft 42 on one end of which a small gear 43 ismounted and a groovecl cable pulley 44 011 the other end.

Attached to each of the brackets 34 are cable guide sheaves 45, one ateach side, and attached at one end to each of the pulleys 44 is a pullcable 46, the latter being divideda-s it approachesthe sheaves 45 andpassed thence over the sheaves to the head i member '36 of the standards35.

Slidable through the platform 32 are operating rods 47, one for each ofthe gears 43, and lpreferably square or other form than round to preventthem from rotating and each with a head 46 to be engaged by y the 'footof the motorman. -Each rod 47 is enlarged below the platform andprovided with a spring 49 means to maintain the rod yieldably in upperposition with the enlarged portion against the lower face of theplatform.V The enlarged portions of the rods 47 areeach formedwith gearteeth in constant engagement respectively with the pinions 43. By thisarrangement it? is obvious that either one of the rods 35 may bedepressed at the will of the motorman, to dispose either one of thebevelled projections 40 into the paths of the bevelled faces 30 ofthemember 28. 1 v

vWith a car equipped as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, when approaching' 'aswitch,`if Athe point 16 is set for the main line andthe car is to passalong the main line no attention is 4paid to the operating mechanism. Ithowever. the car is to pass to the siding or switch track, andthe point16 is set for the .main line, as shown in Fig; l., the motormandepresses the rod 47 at the left and thus correspondingly depresses therod 35 at the left through the action of the pull cable 46 atA the left.and vcauses the roller 39 at the left to engage the ball of the rail 1land the bevelled projection 40 associated therewith to'exteud into thepath of the bevelled projection 30 of the member 28 and throw the latterover to the right and cause the rack 29 to engage the gear 22andoscillate the shaft 20 and thus cause the rods 24 and 26 to move theswitch point into openposition 4and guide 4the car upon the siding orswitch track. i

It the switch point lGVis open the member 28 will be disposed with thebevelled member 30 adjacent the rail l() and if an approaching car is tocontinue along the main line, the motorman depresses the operating rod47 at the right and thus closes the switch point by causing theprojection 40 at the right to engage the bevelled projection 30 at theright end ofthe member 23 tocreverse the motion ofthe shaft 20.andcorrespondingly reverse the motion of the members 24 and 26 andfthrowthe switch point into closed position, as will be obvious.

Thus `the motorman can" throw the switch point in either directionwithout leaving his platform. i

If the car is provided with air brakes the construction shown in Fig. v8will be employed whereby a 'portion of the 'compressed air of the brakesystem will be Vutilized to operate the members `35 and theirattachments.

In the modified construction'the mechanism attached to the platform 32and the guidesheaves 45 will be dispensed -with and the head member 36changed into piston head form as shownat 50; in Figure '8f port an aircyl-inder 52 in Whiclrthe` piston head 50 operates. The members 35,38,-39

and 40 are'the same in thermodified strlrctu'e and operate in thesamemanner.

Two of the cylinders 52 and their atta'c'hments will be' employed, one'at-each'side, corresponding tothe foot actuateddevices shown in Fig. 6,but one set only is shown for illustration. f

Located upon the platform V32 are valve devices one of which isindicatedat 53, and each preferably provided 'with an operating rod 54 extendingto a point convenient to the hand of the motorman and provided with 'anoperating handle 55.

' An air conductor tube 56 from the compressed air cylinder of the airbrake system, not shown, leads into the valve casing 53 while anotherair conductortube 57 leads from tlic'valve casing 53 kto thecylinder 52.The valve members 53 are preferably'` of the three way form, "as shownin Fig-9, so that the airinay be readily exhausted' from the cylinder 52afterthe operation of the mechanism, to permit the spring-37 toaubomatically vreturn thel member 40 to the initial or inoperativeposition.

By this arrangement the motor man may depress either one of the members35 and produce thel same results as when the mech- The-preferredembodiment of th-#Neuf f'4 tion is disclosed in the drawings and set'forth in the specification, but it will be understood that anymodifications within the scope of the claimed invention may be made inthe construction without departing Jfrom the principle of the inventionor sacrificing any oi' its advantages.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is 1. In a railwayswitch operating device a standard adapted to be supported 4for verticalmovement relative to a car truck, a

spring holding said standard in elevated position, a shoe member carriedby said stand ard and including a projection having an inclined face anda seat for a guide roller, said projection extending below the line ofthe ball of the rail on which the truck travels when in one position toengage a Switchpoint actuating mechanism, and the roller to engage theball of the rail and limit the downward movement of the standard, andmeans under the control of the driver of the car to depress saidstandard against the resistance of said spring.

2. A railway switch operatingr mechanism comprising a bracket deviceadapted to be attached to a car truck7 a standard movable through saidbracket, a spring operating to maintain said standard yieldably inelevated position, a shoe member at the lower end of the standard andincluding a downwardly directed projection having an inclined face and aseat to receive a bearing roller, said projection extending belon7 theline of the ball of the rail on which the truck travels, when in oneposition and adapted to engage a switch point actuating mechanism, andthe roller to engage the ball of the rail and limit the downwardmovement of the standard, and means under the control of the driver ofthe car to depress said standard against the resistance of said spring.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature hereto.

IGNACIO ARTEAGA.

